


Mind Over Matter

by Theluminousfisheffect



Category: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Genre: Hugging, he's a clever little kid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-09
Updated: 2014-07-09
Packaged: 2018-02-08 04:03:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1926000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theluminousfisheffect/pseuds/Theluminousfisheffect
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of the hugging machine that Leonard built when he was ten to feel the affection his mother refused to give him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mind Over Matter

'Finally! It's completed!' Little ten year old Leonard Hofstadter smiled proudly and stood back from his newest scientific achievement to admire it.

Admittedly, it wasn't the prettiest invention, nor the flashiest, but Leonard still beamed with happiness at its completion.

'Now for the pilot testing,' he said, pushing his square glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

Leonard plugged it into the socket in the corner of his room. He checked his watch.  
'It will probably need about...20 minutes to warm up,' he thought aloud, doing calculations in his head based on the efficiency of the machine and the power input from mains supply. He really was quite intelligent. He had an I.Q. of 173; not that his mother ever took any notice of it.

He tried to distract himself, but found that he was checking his watch every few minutes, urging it to hurry up. The time dragged as little Leonard waited.

Eventually the twenty minutes were up. Excitedly, he ran over to his invention and placed a hand gently on it.

'Yup,' he thought. 'It's warmed up alright.'

He was just about to begin testing when something stopped him.  
This was sad; even for him. Leonard stared sadly at his machine.

'Maybe I should take it apart,' he started, wondering why he had even made it to begin with.

And the reason came flying back and hit him hard.  
'Never mind. I have to do this,' he said quickly, his enthusiasm growing again rapidly.

Leonard ran to the machine. 'Pilot test commencing for the Mind over Matter (M.O.M) machine,' he beamed.

He no longer cared how sad it was that he had built a hugging machine. His mother had forced him into doing this. She had never, for as long as he could remember, ever hugged him or shown any sort of pride or compassion for her older son.

'I mean, would it really be that bad for her to say 'Well done Leonard' or call me by a pet name or pat me on the back? Just something! Anything!' Leonard asked no one in particular.

He was still upset that she had humiliated him in front of his entire school. He had won a blue ribbon in the science fair for his experiment on how classical music aided plant growth. He was called up in front of all the children and parents, already fighting off a panic attack. When he reached the front his mother stood up and announced that it was just a rehash of his brother's experiment. She made Leonard hand back the blue ribbon and walk back to his seat. He sat in silence, staring at the floor, blushing beetroot red. That was when the idea had formed in his head for the hugging machine.

Leonard pressed enter on the laptop he had hooked up to the machine, starting the programme. His hugging machine was really a clothes mannequin with robotic arms and an electric blanket strapped around the middle to simulate body heat.

Leonard hugged the machine. It was nice. It was warm and it showed more affection for him than his mother ever had. This was all her fault anyway.  
He definitely didn't care how sad it was anymore. He had used his mind to overcome a problem. That was science. And besides, it was nice to feel like someone loved him.

Leonard sighed and stood back again. 'My life's gonna be tough,' he said.


End file.
